Blame Jack Lew for our country’s struggling economy

Why is the Obama administration hanging Fed Chair Janet Yellen out to dry?

As global stock markets sell off, losing, by some estimates, $1 trillion a week in market capitalization, the administration is silent.

And Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is nowhere to be seen or heard.

The US doesn’t need its central banker — with limited tools — talking about negative interest rates six weeks after raising rates.

We need folks like former Treasury leaders Robert Rubin or Henry Paulson taking charge and pounding the lectern, defining US policy.

The Fed and Yellen have unfairly been thrust into the leadership seat of the US economy, and unfortunately, this Fed — while full of brilliant economists — is ill-equipped to handle the economy or the markets. Nor are they designed to — certainly not this group.

For starters, Lew can’t seem to coordinate with China’s finance team on currency moves, or work out a bipartisan economic plan with Congress that will pass and allow each side some victories for the American taxpayer.

The problem is, there has been absolutely zero bipartisan economic initiative. Take last week: The president’s budget calling for more than $4 trillion in spending was sent to Congress.

Included were idealistic pet projects and stupid penalties on ailing industries like oil, with a new $10-a-barrel tax, and dinging banks with more egregious “fees.”

Those measures will just lead to higher charges and punish the poor. Whom does an increase in gas taxes and bank fees hurt the most? The poor and the middle class. And, besides, what’s the point?

Sorry, Janet. Sorry, America. You can’t have economic leadership talk about strong employment when it’s a buildup of part-time baristas and bartenders.

What the government needs is a leader like JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, who was willing to run into the fire and buy $27 million of his own bank’s stock late Thursday.